Vanilla Twilight
by RiverLake
Summary: Sakura loves Syaoran, as does he, but everyone thinks he's with Mei Lin. When Sakura is chosen to sing at her annual school concert, he accidentally confesses his love for her. Will Sakura finally believe it or remain too stubborn to see it?


**FANFIC ANIME – VANILLA TWILIGHT**

_Sakura loves Syaoran, as does he, but everyone thinks he's with Mei Lin. When Sakura is chosen to sing at her annual school concert, he accidentally confesses his love for her. Will Sakura finally believe it or remain too stubborn to see it?_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or Vanilla Twilight.**_

_**A/N: One-Shot fanfic, please R&R, thanks. It's a pretty long one-shot, but I was feeling too lazy to write chapters. =D **_

Sakura curiously glanced over to where Syaoran was, just to gaze at him. She smiled, her heart fluttering even at the sight of him. She loved him, the way his eyes always shone, his friendly laugh…

Mei Lin suddenly glared at her, as if daring her to even try & get close to Syaoran. That was when Sakura turned away quickly & felt her heart sink. The boy she had feelings for was already with another girl, one who was perfect. If not perfect then the next best thing.

Desperate to escape the pain from knowing she could never EVER be with Syaoran, she concentrated fiercely on reading her World History textbook & asking her seat-partner, Eriol, questions whose answers she already knew.

The bell rang, & she felt relieved. Finally, she could get away from the glares of Mei Lin & watch Syaoran peacefully; Mei Lin always ran off with her 'girlfriends' while Syaoran sat with Eriol.

She waited until Mei Lin had gone out then went to Syaoran for the usual, before-recess chat. Like always, he always abandoned what he was doing just to talk to her. "Hey, Li-san," she began the conversation shyly, calling him by his usual title. Syaoran never seemed to notice.

He shook his hair away from his face – an action that Sakura always found irresistible - & looked up to grin at her. "Hey, Sakura," he greeted, getting up & walking out next to her. For a reason no one knew, Syaoran called her by her first name & not 'Sakura-chan'.

Sakura always felt at peace & happy when she was at Syaoran's side, even though sometimes a little sadness because…well, you know. But she planned to cherish the moments always. Sometimes, when she found him staring at her, she would remember that picture for a rainy day to make her feel better.

Abruptly, Syaoran had to run to his football team for a 'secret' meeting, so she said goodbye with a sweet smile. She watched him go, then walked on to the canteen. Mei Lin glared at her at the entrance as she passed by, but that had gotten old & Sakura had learnt to ignore her.

As she sat to eat, the footballers came running into the canteen after their so-called 'secret' meeting. As always, Syaoran & Eriol sat on the table next to her, chatting about random facts & other stuff.

Sakura watched Syaoran while she ate, wishing he could return the feelings that she had for him. With a sad & heavy sigh, she was reminded by her heart that that was impossible when he had Mei Lin. She packed up her food & left.

Syaoran heard the heavy sigh next to him & turned his head in time to see Sakura leave her table with the usual, somewhat depressed look on her face every time she passed him – every time she thought he wasn't looking.

Eriol watched him intently, following his gaze. When he saw his best friend gazing at Sakura with a rather dreamy look on his face, he set down his chopsticks & said, "You're staring at her again."

Syaoran jumped & turned back to face Eriol. Slowly he recomposed himself & said, "Your point?" He resumed eating his sushi, waiting for an answer from Eriol. His best friend shook his head & clapped his hand to his forehead.

"When are you going to confess?" he asked, waving a chopstick at him. "You think I can't see it, but I can!" he finished rather triumphantly, & took his other chopstick to continue eating his teriyaki chicken.

"See what?" Syaoran asked innocently, choosing instead to play dumb rather than to admit to Eriol about his true feelings for Sakura. The truth was, he always loved her. He'd only gotten together with Mei Lin to stop her from 'stalking' him. He loved the way she laughed, the twinkle in her green eyes, the way she talked to him…

His thoughts were interrupted when Eriol gave him a soft hit on the hand. "See that you love Sakura," he answered simply. "Why in the _world _did you get together with Mei Lin anyway?" He waved his chopsticks in Mei Lin's direction, chatting & laughing with her friends in a bitchy sort of way, tossing her hair every few minutes.

Syaoran sighed & looked away. "I did it so she'd stop stalking me," he answered with a grimace. "I do love Sakura, Eriol…but I can't be with her!" Tears appeared in his eyes, & he wasn't fast enough to blink them away.

He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing & sobbing.

Sakura was so immersed in her thoughts of Syaoran up in the cherry blossom tree she had climbed. Memories flashed through her mind.

FLASHBACK

_ Syaoran & Sakura had gone to Eriol's barbeque party just a few months back. Out in Eriol's huge garden, she gazed upward & saw a streak of light in the sky, moving as fast as she would walk._

_ Syaoran, next to her, followed her gaze. Seeing the shooting star he grinned. "Make a wish, Sakura," he said softly, himself wishing silently that eventually he could be with Sakura, the girl of his dreams._

_ Sakura closed her eyes, thinking. Syaoran had to fight the temptation to simply stroke her cheek. Suddenly her eyes blinked open & she stared at the star, wishing furiously. Of course, since she didn't say it out loud, Syaoran had no idea what she wished for._

_ Finally she turned back to him with a contented smile on her face. "There, all done," she declared, grinning mischievously. _

_ Curious, Syaoran asked, "What did you wish for?"_

_ Sakura stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "I can't tell you!" Unconsciously, Syaoran had moved closer until he was almost touching her. He stared her down in the eyes. "Please?" he asked._

_ Sakura simply smiled & gazed at him in a way that actually revealed her feelings for him, but he didn't seem to see it. The expressions in his eyes were so mixed she couldn't tell them apart. _

_ Quickly, to avoid an awkward moment, she shook her head. "NO! It's a secret!" she said before running off._

END OF FLASHBACK

Sakura hung her head as tears began to fall from her eyes. That was the most cherished moment when she was with Syaoran, & she knew that was as close as they were ever going to get.

Suddenly she heard a voice calling from the foot of the tree. Hurriedly she wiped her tears & looked down at the figure. A black-haired woman in a casual denim dress Sakura recognized as her music teacher looked up at her, hands on her hip while her foot tapped the ground in impatience.

Sakura jumped from the branch she was sitting on & landed directly in front of her music teacher. She gave a little bow before saying, "Yes?"

"Finally you answer!" the woman joked with a smile. Then she said, "Sakura, I need you to sing 'Vanilla Twilight' for the upcoming concert in a month's time. Do you think you can do that?"

Sakura's heart nearly stopped, & when she tried to speak, her words came out scraggly so she tried again. "Vanilla Twilight?" Seeing her teacher nod, she sighed & answered, "Yea, OK."

Her music teacher smiled & hugged Sakura; she was the youngest teacher at Tomoeda High, & closest to all the students compared to the other teachers. "_Arigato, _Sakura! You've a lovely voice. Come into the music room when you're free & we'll practice." Then she left.

When she was out of sight, Sakura clapped her hand to her forehead. _What were you thinking, Sakura? _she thought, groaning inwardly. _Ah, well…_

Tomoeda High's annual concert came way too fast for Sakura. Before she knew it, she was waiting backstage for her turn to perform. She was wearing a strapless black satin dress with white patterns on it & black heels. She hoped she had chosen the right clothes; if Tomoyo was there with her, she would've known.

Thinking about Tomoyo, her deceased best friend & cousin, a memory flashed through her mind.

FLASHBACK

_ Tomoyo had left for Australia to visit her cousins a few days after Sakura's birthday. When she was on the plane, Sakura had switched on the TV at her house. As she was flipping channels, the words BREAKING NEWS caught her attention._

_ "The next-to-last plane to Australia today has just crashed into the sea due to an engine failure. 78 were alive, miraculously unharmed, whereas 22 were wounded. 10 did not survive the unfortunate crash," a reporter said into her microphone, & began saying the names of the passengers who did not survive. "…__**Tomoyo D.**__..."_

_ Sakura sat bolt right in her chair as tears began to stream down her face. "No…" she whispered. "Not Tomoyo…"_

END OF FLASHBACK

A loud voice on the PDA interrupted her thoughts. "…and the next performer, I give you, Sakura Kinomoto!"

Loud cheers went up as Sakura walked on stage. She took the mike in her hand & said, "Hey, good evening all. Today, for the annual school concert of our great school, Tomoeda High, I'm going to sing Vanilla Twilight, which was originally sung by Owl City."

She sat on the stool provided behind her & began to sing in a soft voice.

_The stars lean down to kiss you_

_And I lie awake to miss you_

_Pour me a heavy dose of the atmosphere_

_Cos I'll doze off safe & soundly_

_But I'll miss your arms around me_

_I'd send a postcard to you, dear_

_Cos I wish you were here._

Tears sprung to Sakura's eyes as the instrumental part began to play. She glanced at Syaoran, & that somehow gave her more confidence.

_I'll watch the night turn light blue_

_But it's not the same without you_

_Because it takes 2 to whisper quietly_

_The silence isn't so bad_

_Though I look at my hands & feel sad_

The tears Sakura had been holding back fell freely & unconsciously, she looked at Syaoran. He gazed back

In the audience, Syaoran was slightly taken aback. _Is she looking at me? _he thought incredulously. _No way! _

_Cos the spaces between my fingers_

_Are right where yours fit perfectly._

_I'll find repose in new ways_

_Though I haven't slept in 2 days_

_Cos cold nostalgia chills me to the bone_

_But drenched in vanilla twilight_

_I'll sit on the front porch all night_

_Waist deep in thought because when I think of you_

_I don't feel so alone…_

Sakura looked at the boy she loved again, & this time Syaoran knew that she was looking at him. Unconsciously he had been mouthing the words to the song, singing softly to himself alone with Sakura.

_I don't feel so alone…_

_I don't feel so alone…_

_As many times as I blink_

_I'll think of you _

_Tonight…_

Sakura paused again. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, falling onto the stage. Fortunately no one was close enough to see it, & she cried freely. Memories of Syaoran flashed through her mind: when he smiled at her, when he talked to her, when they laughed together…

_I'll think of you tonight…_

_When violet eyes get brighter_

_And heavy wings grow lighter_

_I'll taste the sky & feel alive again_

_And I'll look at the world that I knew_

_But I swear I won't forget you_

_Oh if my voice could reach back through the past_

_I'd whisper in your ear_

Sakura held the mike away from her mouth so no one would hear her gasps of pain while waiting for the short pause to end. But before she could continue with the last line, a voice sang out of the crowd, a voice she knew well.

_No, _she thought, her eyes widening. _No, it couldn't be!_

But it was, as much as she couldn't believe it. It was Syaoran who finished the song for her.

_Oh, darling I wish you were here._

All who had heard Syaoran widened their eyes. Actually, he did too. He hadn't meant to do that…but now that everyone had heard…

He glanced back at the stage & saw Sakura's eyes widen in his direction. He was close enough to see her eyes, but he couldn't tell what was in them – fear, horror, shock…

As the ending continued, she said, "Thank you," into the mike & ran off stage. Syaoran excused himself & ran up to the rooftop where he knew she would be. He would always find her there, alone, thinking to herself while sunlight rained upon her face. And all the times he had been alone with her he had never told her how he felt. Quiet stupid, right?

True enough, he found her there, leaning again the railing with her back to the blue sky with streaks of orange running through it. Her hand was over her mouth & tears were rolling down her cheeks. As he watched her, she slowly sank down to the floor.

He approached her & gently put his hand on her shoulder. Her head shot up, her eyes red-rimmed, cheeks tear-stained, hair thrown back in its usual messy manner, but to him she was still as beautiful as ever.

As her green eyes gazed into his amber ones, she whispered, "Was it you?"

Syaoran shrugged. "More or less," he smiled.

Unexpectedly, Sakura shrugged off his hand. "No. You can't be…you can't have done it."

"But I am, & I was," he answered & leaned closer. Soon enough, his lips met with hers. They remained like that for quite a while, & when Syaoran pulled back, he leaned forward until his mouth was at her ear. "Sakura, I've loved you for the longest time."

Sakura used her palm to wipe away her tears. "But you have Mei Lin…" she began, pushing him away.

Syaoran scoffed. "Please! I'm only with her to stop her from stalking me." He stared into Sakura's eyes. "Sakura, I was with her but my heart only ever & always will belong to you."

Sakura hung her head. "As mine, Syaoran…but why me?"

Syaoran smiled. "Because you're unlike any other girl I've ever known: beautiful on the inside & out."

Sakura smiled as he put his arm around her. She leaned against him, & the new couple were happy, simply because they were together, bathed in the orange light of the setting sun.

**A/N: What do you think? Be honest with me, this is my first one-shot. Sorry if I copied anyone; I might not have known simply because I didn't read your stories. Please review & check out my other fanfics & review. Thanks!**

_Don't Know Why I Still Love You_

_How Terrible is the Death of a Loved One?_

_Till Death Do Us Part_


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